1. Technical Field
The present invention relates generally to orthopedic positioning devices and more particularly to devices and methods for supporting an arm before, during or after a surgical, rehabilitative or imaging procedure.
2. Background Art
Surgical procedures on the extremities of humans occur with great frequency, and particularly surgeries on the arm, elbow, and hand. Injuries to a person's arm, elbow and hand come frequently from falls, reaching to catch one's self, slipping or landing on an elbow causing a shattering or dislocation of the bone structure within the elbow, and attempting to brace oneself in response to a fall resulting in fractured bones in the humerus, elbow, forearm, and/or hand.
During the course of procedures to repair the broken bones or other features in the arm, historically, the patient's arm has been placed on a pillow or some other support structure resting on the patient's waist or chest, or a foam pad can be used to support the arm. This procedure fails to properly secure and maintain in a fixed position the extremity on which the procedure is being conducted. There have been numerous attempts to address this problem, including those described and illustrated in U.S. Pat. Nos. 473,200; 5,785,057; 7,017,215; 7,143,458; 7,441,293 and U.S. Publication No. 2008/0301878. The prior devices that are available in the industry, including those described in the aforesaid patents are an improvement over the simple use of a pillow resting on the patient's chest, but remain inadequate. Specifically, conventional products fail to provide good exposure to the extremity, particularly to the patient's elbow, and make it difficult for the surgeon and assistants to have easy, unfettered access to the patient's elbow to properly complete the surgical, rehabilitative or imaging procedure.
Thus, there is a continuing need in the art for improvements in devices and methods for supporting an arm for such purposes.